"Pohutukawa Movement" 2020

Pohutukawa Movement (2020) is a one-of-a-kind wall work by New Zealand artist John Allen — a piece that presents a fragment of Northland pōhutukawa root as it has rarely been seen. Freed from the earth and suspended on glass, the root floats between wall and air, casting a quiet glow into the room around it.

The technique is as distinctive as the material. The root is finished with oil and acrylic paint, then mounted on the front of non-reflective glass with no backing board. The coloured reverse side reflects subtle light off the wall behind, giving the piece a living, luminous quality that shifts gently with the time of day and the light in the room. Framed and ready to hang.

Where the Essence series presents the root as sculpture in the round, Pohutukawa Movement explores what happens when that same organic form meets glass, light, and the wall — the result is something intimate, unexpected, and entirely unique.

Specifications:

• Title: Pohutukawa Movement (2020)
• Artist: John Allen
• Materials: Pōhutukawa root (Northland), oil, acrylic paint, non-reflective glass, frame
• Dimensions: 280 × 280 mm
• Mounting: Root floats on glass — no backing board; coloured reverse reflects light off the wall
• Year: 2020
• Care: Indoor display; avoid direct sunlight